Things To Do In London | Brush Shoulders With The Celebrities in Madame Tussauds

December 9, 2016

I’ve avoided Madame Tussauds like a plague. Every time I go somewhere where there’s a branch of this popular wax museum, it will not even cross my mind to check it out. I do believe I’ve been to one though, many many years ago when I was a child. If not Madame Tussauds itself, something very similar. Memory is a bit hazy but I do remember that I enjoyed it but then I thought that once you see one, you don’t really have to see another again. And frankly, I think it’s a tourist trap and will have one thing that I hate the most about tourist traps – a huge crowd.

We had some friends visiting last week and one of the things they wanted to see while in London was Madame Tussauds. I wasn’t particularly interested in it but why not be a tourist for a day? I don’t have to like it but it would be nice to spend some time with friends in the wax museum (and make fun of the people visiting it). We arrived at around 1pm and the queue was not as long as I expected it to be. We should’ve bought our tickets online though as the line’s shorter and faster for them.

As soon as we got past security and the hundreds of stairs (The Greek Mister and I were made to take the stairs, ugh!), we reached the first level of the museum which is the section for celebrities. In this section, I lowered my inhibitions (or probably completely discarded it) and went straight to the wax figures posing beside them while The Greek Mister took (crappy) photos of me.

I don’t even know why I was avoiding Madame Tussauds in the first place. Yes, it’s touristic and yes, it’s crowded but rest assure that even the grumpiest person like me will (in some ways) enjoy it. The Greek Mister who normally hates visiting these kinds of places had a great time too. I think we forgot that we were there with friends as we were both too focused on taking photos of ourselves.

About Madame Tussauds

Marie Tussaud inherited her father’s skills in wax modelling. She traveled around Europe for 33 years with her father’s vast collection of wax models until she settled down in 1835 and opened her museum in Baker Street in London. Her most famous exhibition in the museum is the Chamber of Horrors which displays the victims of the French Revolution, criminals and murderers. It was said to be very realistic that children under the age of 12 were not allowed to go inside.

These days, Madame Tussauds has concentrated more on celebrities and famous people. The popularity of a celebrity is measured based on having a wax figure of their own in Madame Tussauds. And yes, Justin Bieber has one. And no, I didn’t take a selfie with his wax figure.

The museum is divided into categories – celebrities, fashion week, sports, royals, culture and film just to name a few. It also has a section for YOU TUBE with wax figures of famous vloggers in it. I had no idea who they were but how cool is it to have your own wax figure in Madame Tussauds as a vlogger?

Madame Tussauds is not only about being a wax museum as it also includes a 4D experience in its Marvel superhero section. The show was really enjoyable even if I’m not a Marvel fan myself. It also includes the Spirit of London experience which takes you in a black cab ride and gives you a brief history of London. Another new addition is the Star Wars experience which for whatever reason, we weren’t able to try ourselves as I thought that we needed to pay extra to go there. There’s also the Sherlock Holmes interactive show which, to be completely honest, I did not enjoy and was probably my least favorite in Madame Tussauds.

It’s a place where being silly is acceptable. In fact, you’ve got to be a bit crazy when you’re planning to visit the museum as it’s the only way you’ll enjoy it completely. Be fun and be creative with your poses even though you’re surrounded with a dozen people or so who are all waiting for their turn to do the same. It’s also not a place to visit on your own, it’s best enjoyed with friends and family. Unless you don’t mind asking random people to take your photos with the celebrity wax figures.

I had a great time in Madame Tussauds and I do highly recommend a visit to this museum while in London. It’s definitely a great day out which can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike.

Plan your visit to Madame Tussauds London (and some tips).

Madame Tussauds is generally open from 10am to 2pm. Do check their calendar for their complete schedule.
Nearet underground station: Baker Street
Ticket price is £29 but I do highly recommend taking the combination tickets which includes other attractions. It makes it a whole lot cheaper specially if you are planning to visit those attractions anyway. Visit their website for more combination tickets information. Buying your tickets online is also cheaper and gives you a faster access to the museum.
Wear comfortable shoes as you’ll be doing a lot of walking (including a lot of stairs) while in the museum.
Allot at least 2 hours in the museum to fully enjoy it.
Be fun, be creative and be silly with your poses. Don’t mind the people around you, you won’t see them again anyway.

25 Comments

i’ve had the exact same thoughts about visiting Madame Tussauds. I think I was at the London museum in my early teens, and I haven’t considered going back since then. Though your photos remind me of how fun it actually was. Do you remember seeing Jay-Z there? I’ve kind of given up on waiting for his next tour, so if he’s at Madame Tussauds, I might just go and see him there:):)Mitzie Mee recently posted…Las Vegas: Saturday Night at VooDoo Rooftop Nightclub

I have always been curious about Madame Tussauds. I went to The Peak in Hong Kong where a Madame Tussauds museum can be found, but I never got the chance to go inside. The statues look so real, it’s almost creepy! But this place is really perfect for a photo op. 🙂Nadine Smith (Scenes From Nadine) recently posted…Our Sweet Stay at Hanoi Meracus Hotel 2, Vietnam

We have to agree with you as we often avoid wax museums for the very same reason: too touristy and crowded! But once inside we enjoyed every bit of it.. Good to hear that Youtube vloggers have made their way into Madame Tussauds.. We hope next is bloggers 😉Tales of Travelling Sisters recently posted…Jaswant Thada- The Taj of Marwar

I love a wax museum! We visited Madame Tussaud’s in London and it was so much fun!! I took a photo with King Charles, who I thought looked a LOT like Captain Hook from Peter Pan. This is definitely something the kids would enjoy!!Natalie recently posted…New Orleans Christmas Decorations: Free fun

Madame Tussauds was one of the first tourist places I visited on my first trip to London. I loved it at the time but havent been back since. Maybe I shouldnpay it another visit. My poor mother got fooled by the one in NYC. She got excited thinking Morgan Freeman was on then street, then looked up and realised she was outside Madame Tussauds and it was just a waxwork!

I was exactly like you and was able to avoide wax museums for most of my life. Until about 3 years ago when on a work night out we ended up at Madame T’s in Sydney. It was fun but kind of expensive. I’m in no rush to head back but if the opportunity presented itself I’d go with the flow.Sydney Fashion Hunter recently posted…Stratosfare Restaurant @ Skyline Rotorua

Pssst – I love Madame Tussauds! I’ve visited the one in NYC as well as in Vienna, both times with good friends and we had an excellent time! It was more about us having fun than the actual figures hehe. We were in NYC around Halloween and they made a scary part with figures… only the figures were alive! I think I never screamed more than when one of those “figures” grabbed my shoulder in the dark 😀Maja | Mexatia recently posted…Forget Advent In Vienna And Head To Zagreb Instead!

So interesting! I’m like you, I’ve never had any interest in going to a wax museum, but after reading your story I actually think it might be fun to go and act really silly while pretending to meet famous celebrities! Good for you for keeping an open mind and trying something new!Lynne Sarao recently posted…9 Reasons to visit Utah